Riuva : Research Institute for Unicultural Visual Arts

I wasn’t too keen on this figurine when it first hit the market, despite my undying love for the hotness that is Gun x Sword. Reason? Wendy just doesn’t quite make the cut, both in terms of appearance and character. In Gun x Sword, Fasalina is teh burning goddess.

But look, I have Wendy. How did she end up with me? No thanks to Urban Attic’s sale, I got this 4500 yen girl for S$25 (1182 yen) but its from a HK retailer. For those not in the know, Hong Kong gets their stock straight from China. So China, the producer, supplies both Japan and HK and the HK stock are supposed to be cheaper while the Japan stuff has better QC. Both are considered original though.

The poor popularity of Wendy can be seen from the leftover stock for both Max and Yamato’s version of her anyway. But good deals are good deals, and it is not in the nature of a colletor to miss out on these, especially when I expect a Fasalina to be coming along soon. Think Ikebana (the Japanese art of flower arrangement). The basic setup is, a glorious beautiful main flower surrounded by smaller and less attractive ones to add on to the former’s beauty. Wendy is the perfect foil.

The figure itself wasn’t too easy to photograph. Her pose has her right hand covering her face, so most of the right angles are pretty much eliminated. But here are the top three shots I’ve got.

The pictures were taken outside China Square Central, a place known for its flea market and large collection of toy stores. This is the first time Riuva has utilised a reflector board. Actually it was Tsubaki’s film paper or something. Lesson: Reflector boards cannot be held alone outdoors for a human has only two hands.

Have you guys watched Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge? "AHHH TOO BRIGHT!!"

Octopus is the animal I think of.

The angles were very limited for this figure.

So any comment on the angling, lighting, background etc?

The base is rather nice. Instead of having a base and making her hold her trunk like she always does in the show, Max has gotten Wendy to kneel on it instead, making for a stable, 3D and diorama-ish base. Unlike what it seems, the suitcase isn’t covered at the bottom, so that’s a negative. It just doesn’t feel solid enough with just the top shell. And her turtle, whose name I forget, is included too.

Wendy appears to have nine fingers on her right hand. But the four extras are just her tentacular fringe. It’s not conventional, and certainly not pretty. Her hair is well-made, with detailed sculpting and well-applied painting, but the design is so bad. C’mon, two megahuge stiff pigtails with a tentacular fringe?

It’s quite interesting, Wendy’s pose really. She’s looking at something bright, and so is squinting with her right hand blocking out the sun. The squint is well-done, with the natural facial contortions a squint would generate, such as puffy eyebags and lowered eyebrow. The whole pose is cute and expressive, but without any sexual vibes. In short, she’s a loli without the love.

Not flat. But it is a bit interesting when her rib bump is almost the same size as her titties.

In terms of clothing, Wendy’s pretty uninteresting. And she commits the greatest sin - safety tights! She does carry a redeeming item - a huge revolver (which she almost never uses). The holster of the revolver is finely detailed and the leather stiching sculpted in perfectly.

Satan’s shorts.

I’ve gotten rid of the graph cos it’s worthless. Anyway, this figure of Wendy isn’t hot, isn’t cute, isn’t exciting and there’s no love for her. If the price wasn’t that low, nobody would’ve bought her. The quality is there, with Max’s production but she’s just too .. weak as a character.